Evolution
by MoonFoxJ
Summary: When the world ends, it waits for no one. To run. To fight. To live or die. There are infinite paths to take. This is the story of a girl and a boy, and the path they took at the end of their days. NOTE: This is a gijinka story and that fact itself is part of the plot.
1. The girl and the boy

As mankind evolved, so had Pokemon alongside them. Time stops for none, and in a constant state of evolution the only rule that is absolute, is survival of the fittest. That is the cruel truth…

Of this world.

Evolution

Chapter 1: The girl and the boy

The boy extended his hand to her. She took it gladly, and they headed out from her house after she told her mom that she was going out.

"I gotta say, it was a bit of a surprise when you asked me out today, Curtis," she noted. "I figured you'd much rather have that video game competition with your friends."

"Ahaha, you don't know guys as well as you think you do." He blushed. "W-Well, to tell you the truth, I lost a bet to them and it was either this or go into _that_ part of town…"

She smiled. "Aren't I lucky?"

"No, no, I didn't mean it like that!" he apologized. "To be honest, I was thinking of how to plan our third date but came up blank. I guess getting pushed into it is one way."

"Yeah," she laughed. "You look good by the way. Is that a new jacket?"

He looked down at his attire. A red-and-white plaid jacket and blue jeans. "Oh, yeah, it is," he said.

They walked. She waited.

After a few seconds, she spoke up, "By the way, this is the part where you compliment the girl back, if you didn't already do it first."

"Oh crap, sorry!" he said, taking in her peach, lacy, summer dress and tan, low-heeled sandals.

"Don't worry about it," she said smiling, waving it off. "So, where are we going?"

"I was thinking we could go to the movies," he answered, perking up, "The new _Haunter House_ movie just came out and I've been dying to see it."

"Oooh, a horror. Is your plan to scare me into clinging onto your arm when something scary pops up on-screen?" she teased. "I gotta warn you, I don't scare easily."

+x+

Curtis shook her shoulder. "Umm, are you sure you're okay?"

She looked downcast. Her bangs hid her eyes."I'm fine."

"Really? Because ever since the Haunter appeared, you squeezed me so tight, I lost feeling to my left arm."

"W-Whatever. I wasn't all that scared. I just wanted to make you feel better…"

He laughed at her. She would make him pay for that. Just then, something in the corner of her eye caught her attention.

"Hey, let's go do that!" she said, already dragging him.

He turned. "Oh, really? That? H-How about we get something to eat first? If you'd like, we can go to-"

"What's the matter? Camera shy?" she teased.

After a bit of struggling, she finally managed to cram them both into the photo booth, making sure to go in last so that he couldn't escape. She paid the machine for three shots and selected the option for a thirty-second countdown. She saw their faces appear on a screen in front of them, and began thinking of poses that could make him squirm.

"Let's make it look like we're madly in love with each other!"

"I…"

She intertwined her fingers with his and stared straight into his eyes with pure bliss. He smiled back at her, but she could see that he was also nervous and blushing. Good, she had him just where she wanted him.

 _BLING_

"Oooh, now let's make one where I'm the killer and you're the victim!"

"Huh?"

She wriggled her fingers at him and sneered with devious intent. "Mwahaha, I vill suck you d'ry of your various bodily fluids!"

"What the-?!"

 _BLING_

He looked genuinely scared now. She laughed hard. To her surprise, so did he. She decided that she had to take it up a notch.

"Alright," she said, "in this next one, we're gonna do a kiss shot."

She saw his smile fade. "A what?"

The countdown began.

"A kiss shot. What? Don't tell me you've never kissed someone before."

"Well, I… not on camera…"

Ten seconds left.

She grabbed his face and pulled him in. "Don't worry, I don't bite… every time…"

He had shut his eyes in anticipation. She could feel his cheeks quivering. So cute.

 _3\. 2. 1. BLING_

She saw his eyes flutter, then open wide. He looked confused.

He touched his lips. "Hey, what-"

She laughed at him again. "Did you really think that you were gonna get a kiss from moi that easily?"

At first, he looked stunned, then embarrassed. Then, he began laughing along with her. Good, he looked like he took that little prank of hers okay. She had to admit, if anything, at least he was fun to tease.

+x+

Curtis was looking over the pictures they took while they waited for their order. "Man, you're really photogenic, you know that? Even without the Espeon hair."

She choked, looked around quickly, and set her glass of water down. "We're not supposed to talk about our species," she answered. "You could cause serious trouble for doing that."

"I know, I know," he said, "but I'm being real here. Even without your hair being that pretty pink color, I bet you still looked great before… you know…"

She looked down at her hands. "Yeah, thanks…"

"… H-Have you heard about Humon?" he suddenly brought up.

She looked up at him. "That big group of fanatics on the news that everyone's been hearing about just recently?"

"Yeah. I heard that they recently began to form in the city's outskirts."

"Here? In Havenport? Are you serious?"

"Yeah, and that's not all. I heard from a couple of guys from school who live near the city's edge, that those Humon guys got their hands on a couple of HM's, and are planning to… look, they're on TV right now!"

She turned around. Since they sat in a corner booth of the diner, she noticed that a few people sitting around them also looked up to the TV.

"… _in what appears to be the remains of a wrecked car. The body looks burnt as well so it's safe to assume that both the body and the vehicle were set aflame at the same time, possibly in an attempt to destroy evidence. Authorities are now on the scene, searching for anything that could identify the female victim. The body had already been damaged to such an extent, that it still remains impossible to tell what the young woman's Pokemon species was. One thing is clear though, that ones responsible for the attack are most likely part of the longstanding yet recently-exposed religious group, Humon, due to initial forensic reports stating that although heavily burnt, the bones of the victim were scattered carelessly in the car, pointing to the fact that the limbs were pulled off from the body before the burning. As it is known that Humon targets its victims with cannibalism in mind, it is-quote, unquote-"highly possible that the limbs were pulled off to allow easier feeding". More on this story later. Back to you, Larry…"_

"Oh my god…"

"How horrible."

"What is this world coming to?"

A story on sports was being shown now, but the girl's eyes stayed glued to the TV screen. Not that sports interested her, but her mind was still trying to process what she just saw. The body wasn't shown, but if that car she just saw was any indication, then…

"Hey, you alright?"

"Huh?"

She snapped out of her daze. Curtis had said something. "I'm sorry, what did you say?" she asked.

"I asked you what you thought about Humon."

"Oh," she said. "Well, not much to say really. I mean, they go around, eating people in the name of God. That's… That's crazy. They're crazy, and that's all there is to it."

"But don't you think that at the very least, they believe that their own actions are justified? I mean look at this world. Every single Pokemon on Earth is gone. We're all that's left. Consuming other living beings is part of being human, and ignoring that instinct is abnormal, going against millions of years of practice."

"So are you saying that _we're_ the ones who are crazy? The ones who refuse to eat meat?"

"Well, it's not like we've been eating our own fellow humans all this time, so who can you call crazy, really? The ones who ignore their very nature out of preservation for a code of ethics, or those who've adapted to the next step?"

At that moment, they were interrupted by a girl in a blue dress with two plates. "Here's your tomato soup and crouton salad… and here's your tofu burger. Can I get you two anything else?" their waiter asked them with a sunny smile.

"No thank you," she replied.

"Alright, I'll come by later if you guys need a refill for your drinks. Enjoy your meal!"

After their waiter left, she began with a few sips of her tomato soup. She looked over at him. He hadn't even taken a bite of his burger yet.

"You okay?" she asked.

He poked at his burger with his straw, then chuckled. "You gotta at least respect those Humon for being able to actually enjoy their dinner, right?"

+x+

After Curtis paid for their meal, someone had bumped into her on his way out, but Curtis had already caught her before she fell (what a gentleman). The two left for his car, and while he drove, he didn't tell her where he was taking her. "Somewhere classic" he told her when she begged for a hint. That just got her even more curious. When he had turned from the main road and began leading them out of the city, she began feeling nervous. It was starting to get dark, and he was taking them up the mountain path.

"Ah, Curtis, where are we going?"

He took one hand off the wheel to hold hers. "Don't worry. Trust me, it'll be okay," he said, smiling at her.

She could only nod.

Five long minutes later, they'd reached the top of a hill onto a flat area, big enough to fit several cars. He drove them near the cliff and her hand unconsciously began reaching for the door handle. When he parked the car, she raised an eye at him.

"Here?" she asked. "Where are we?"

He turned off the lights and turned to her in the darkness. "Have you ever heard of something called, Makeout Point?"

"… Oh gawd."

He began to laugh. "No really, this is it! We're actually at a very old Makeout Point hill that was popular back in the days."

She laughed too. "This is waaay beyond Classic. It's old school!"

"Blame my dad. He's stuck in the past."

They laughed some more at that.

She looked out the windshield. "Wow, just look at the city from up here. It looks amazing!"

He shrugged and smiled. "Sometimes old school works."

"Wooow", she said again. "Can we go out?"

"Sure. Let's."

The two stepped out of the car and sat on its hood. She gazed over the city landscape, taking in every detail. The sun had just fallen over the horizon, painting the sky orange. The lights, each one different in shape and color, all spread out like a map. It looked like she was looking at a starry night sky.

Her eyes glazed over. "Beautiful," she whispered.

They stayed like that for a few more minutes until the wind proved to be too cold for her.

"Let's head back inside," she pleaded.

"Oh, right, of course."

Before she could even sit down, he was already turning on the heater. She crossed her legs and rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.

She smiled at him gratefully. "Thanks."

He smiled back. "I'm sorry I didn't notice sooner. I just got caught up in the moment."

She shook her head and told him it was fine.

"Oh, here. Take this, it'll help you warm up faster," he said, taking off his jacket.

"Oh, no, it's alright, I'm not that c-"

"I insist."

He had already gotten his jacket around her shoulders, leaving him with just his black T-shirt. She blushed. She had to admit, he looked cute this way too, and she had seen her own fair share of cute guys. Sure she had gone out on dates with other guys before but those were just for fun. Nothing really developed between her and them. But Curtis…

"Hey, hey, you okay?"

She continued to look at him. "Yeah, I'm okay."

The sun had gone down, and although the lights were still off, the rings on his Umbreon ears began to glow, lighting up the darkness with golden light. She could see his face clearly, and she was sure that he could see hers. He was looking at her with a powerful focus. She could hear his breaths. It was dark, but as he stared into her eyes, she stared into his. She wondered what kind of face she was making now. It didn't matter though. His eyes looked down at her lips, and she looked down at his. He started shifting, leaning over towards her; unconsciously, her body began to lean too.

"Helena."


	2. The trash

In response to comments from chapter 1; no, this story's gijinka characters aren't like the characters from the movie Zootopia. I actually envisioned them as normal looking humans with certain physical traits that stem from Pokemon, depending on the species.

Chapter 2: The trash

A car passed by on the street. It looked nice, perhaps too nice for this neighborhood. That piqued his curiosity enough to get him to follow it. Well, he was bored too. In hindsight, that was his first mistake.

TWACK

"Kghh!"

His second mistake was watching the five suits step out of their car and enter the abandoned warehouse, and then promptly following them inside. Honestly, it was such a stupid move on his part that he wondered to himself how he had survived up until now. Natural selection should've offed him ages ago.

THWACK

"Haghk!"

Sure the whole thing seemed shady to him, but was it really any of his business to eavesdrop? No. They were just business men and thugs in your everyday dirty dealings. He was just a little shit on the streets that nobody would miss. How would he benefit from learning anything from them, and exactly what should he do if he'd gotten caught? Both, excellent questions. If only he'd stopped and thought about that before getting himself in this mess.

TWACK

"Ahaagh!"

His stomach immediately re-tensed itself in preparation for the next blow. When it didn't come, he relaxed. He had lost count somewhere after twenty. Spots were already beginning to form in his vision, and his tears made things blurry. It also didn't help that he was upside-down; the blood rush was getting to him. And he just generally felt hurt all over.

"Alright, kid," a gruff voice called out. The big, scary-looking one. Well, the scariest one that is (they all looked pretty scary). "Even if your special is Defense, which I doubt at this point, I doubt a runt like you could take much more. So why don't you make it easier on everyone here and tell us exactly where you hid it? We don't have all day."

He tried to talk but choked on something. It tasted familiar, unfortunately. Swallowing it down, he said, "I told you, I lied. I don't have anything on you guys, I swear."

A sleazy looking one grabbed his hair and pulled up. Only his head could move though. The chain around his wrists were linked to a barbell so he was pretty much stretched like a taffy already. "Alright, alright. Since we're such nice guys, we'll cut ya a deal. Just tell us where it is, and we'll make yer death quick and painless, no strings attached. How 'bout that?"

Quick and painless? He didn't want to die at all!

"For the last time, I lied! I just made all that up because I thought it would give me a head start to get away."

"What do ya take us for, a bunch of idi-?"

"Look at me! Do I look like the kind of kid who'd have the money to spend on a camera?"

"… Hey boss I think this kid was lying."

He let out a huge sigh. Thank god they finally put two and two together. He could get through to them now, hopefully.

"Look," he said, "I'm just a stupid kid who got curious in other people's business. I'm a nobody, so just please let me go."

Big looked at him for a second. "You're right. You are a nobody. Just trash off the street that stuck his nose where he shouldn't have and now knows too much."

Fuck.

Big jerked his head towards Sleazy. "Make it quick."

Sleazy groaned, "Ohh, why do I have to be the one to do it? I mean guys, sure, but a kid? What 'bout my conscious? I'm gonna have to go to church this Sunday!"

Holy shit. They weren't playing anymore. He was gonna died right here, right now, in the middle of a goddamn warehouse of all places.

Big turned to the tallest one in their group. "Then you do it."

Tall complained, "What? Why me?"

"Because you're the youngest!"

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"You can sympathize with his situation, so you should be the one to kill him!"

"That's not how it works!"

"Listen to your elders!"

"You're only five years older than me!"

"Will someone just kill this guy already!" the shortest one shouted before stabbing a knife into his arm.

"GAAAARRGHH! Ohhfffffuck!" he cried, panting for breath. The tanned one yanked the knife out of Shorty's hand, and his shoulder as well. New pain flared up all the way from his fingertips to his right shoulder. "Arrrghmy… god!"

Tanny shook the blade in Shorty's face. "Don't just take people's things without asking! It's really rude!"

Shorty shot back, "Says the guy who just stole my leftover yakisoba in the fridge! I paid seven dollars for that and I wrote my name on the box!"

"Nobody was eating it! It was going to go bad!"

"I was going to eat it that morning!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"You fucking liar!"

"You thieving bastard!"

"EVERYBODY SHUT THE FUCK UP!" Big screamed.

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

"Aghhh… Hagh… Oh my god it hurts…"

Big smoothed his hair and let out a sigh. "Look at us! Arguing over who should kill who and stolen noodles. We. Are. Men. Now, here's what we're going to do. We are all going to kill this kid together-"

Holy shit!

"-then head over to Mr. Chang's for lunch and put all this nonsense behind us. Alright?"

Sleazy, Tall, Shorty, and Tanny replied in unison, "Yes, boss."

If there was anytime to talk, this was it. "H-Hey, wait a second! Please, you don't have to kill me! I won't tell anyone about what I heard today, I swear! I'll take it to my grave. I won't tell a soul! Please don't!"

"Sorry, kid," Big said. "Hopefully, in the next life, you'll be wiser about the choices you make in life."

He tried to pull himself up but couldn't even get the barbell off the ground. He shook this way and that but all he managed to do was tire himself out.

"Come on, you can't do this! There's gotta be another way to settle this!"

Tall pulled out a pair of brass knuckles.

"Oooh, ya actually got that? So cool!" Sleazy commented, pulling out a Nunchaku.

Tall smiled. "I've been saving up my allowance for this. I am glad I finally get to break into it!"

As well as his face! He saw Shorty take out a collapsible baton, Tanny practicing some intricate cutting motions with his knife, and Big, well… he didn't pull out a weapon. He could get why. The guy was the living embodiment of the Abominable Snowman! He had to think. There was no way he was getting out of this himself. So what could he do? He tried threatening them. Huge mistake on his part. He tried to reason with them (should've done that before threatening them). Pleading didn't work. What could he do? He had to think!

Big cracked his knuckles. "Alright, let's finish this quick, boys. I'm in the mood for some chicken lo mein, today!"

He was gonna die! He was gonna for sure! There was no way he was going to get out of this one! No way he could beat this!

"Beat…"

Prepped and ready, the five men took aim with their fists and weapons, pulled their arms back, and thrust at him with all their migh-!

"I'll help you!"

They stopped. When he realized that, he puffed out a breath that he didn't know he'd held all this time. The knuckles of a huge, meaty fist were staring straight into his face. The other fours' weapons were just as close to various parts of his body.

Big spoke, "What do you mean you'll help us?"

This was it. Either he played his cards right, or his life ended right here, right now.

"I still don't have a camera, but I did overhear you guys talking with those other guys in the suits. They gave you a job for fifty thousand; half now, half after you finish. You guys need to steal some kind of art piece or whatever from the museum, right? I can do that, much better that you can. Look at yourselves."

He saw them lower their arms a bit (to his great relief) to look themselves over. He continued.

"You guys are five, big, mean-looking dudes. No way you'll even make it into the building without arousing suspicion. Plus, these days, they have metal-scanners that visitors need to walk through in order to enter the museum. You guys won't be able to bring any of your weapons, but I don't need a weapon-I'm just a kid. They'll never look twice my way. And I may not look like it but I actually know that museum pretty well since I visit it sometimes when I get bored. It's a public museum with no admission fee and there aren't guards in every room. I can get inside, wait until no one's looking, grab whatever it is you guys need to grab, and get out quick and easy."

He saw them look at him. Then they looked at each other. They looked at him again. Crap, what were they thinking right now? Did he propose a good deal or would they just kill him anyway? Big knelt down and inspected him. Honestly, it felt weird to be checked out by another man, but he really couldn't complain. Better than said man beating him to death with his bare fists.

Big asked, "How old are you?"

"Seventeen," he lied.

"What's your name?"

"Ben," he lied again.

"Where are you from, Ben?"

"Alleyway at the corner of Jiefang and Hepinglu. It's my go-to spot since there are usually other kids my age there." Another lie.

"… Cut him down."

Tanny pulled out the ladder they used to hang him, climbed up, and started sawing through the rope bounding his ankles. A few seconds later, he fell down head-first but Big caught his shirt before he fell. A loud rip sounded, but he didn't care. He was just happy to be alive and hoped to get out of here that way.

Big grabbed his stabbed arm. "Benny-boy, we're going to let you go today so go home and get some rest. But… " Big squeezed his arm, and he grimaced in agony. "… three days from now, we will come for you at Jiefang and Hepinglu. If I find out that you were lying to me, we will be right back here, you will go through the same thing you just went through today, and there will be no second chance." Big released his arm, and he clutched it in pain. "Do you understand Benny-boy?"

Benny-boy nodded.

Big smiled. Surprisingly, it was an actual genuine smile. That just made him feel more on-edge.

"Good. It would be a shame to disappoint me when I have shown you my nice side. I may look like a big, tough man but to tell you the truth, I'm very sensitive on the inside, you know?"

Benny-boy nodded.

"Come on, boys, let's go get some lunch." Big turned and waved for the other four to follow him. They put their weapons away and followed. Tanny gave him a thumbs-up, and Tall even slapped him on the back like they were the best of friends. "Remember, Benny-boy, I'm counting on you!" Big called out before they exited the warehouse.

Finally, he was alone.

"… Well, I guess I'm Ben now," he said to no one in particular.

For a while, he did nothing besides standing there in the vast, empty warehouse. Then, he touched his arm and brought his hand to his face. Blood soaked his fingers, and the smell was terrible. He put his hand back down. He was at a lost on what to do now. It was still the middle of the day, but he felt like he'd been in here for hours. His arm hurt, but he had nowhere to go. The stab wasn't too deep. If only his special was Healing, he could just wait till night and at the very least the wound would close on its own.

A hospital was out of the question. He watched the news. The media always wanted to blow up stuff like this and more attention was the last thing he needed.

He could go to Madam Tali, but she always wanted a gift for her services that depended on the day and since it was Friday, she would want _that_ , which would be quite the trip to get. He'd have to take the bus to get it.

And then there was _her_. He shivered. No way. Sure, she was the most convenient option of the three and she would gladly patch him up, but that was the problem. She would do it gladly. Very, very gladly…

He shook his head. Making up his mind, he exited the warehouse. He had to walk quite the distance before he was out of the docks, at which point he located the nearest gas station, and occupied the restroom. He turned on the light but had to wait a few seconds for it to flicker to life. When it did, he stripped off his jacket, hung it, and looked at himself in the mirror. For some reason, he looked worse in the mirror than when he looked at himself earlier. His right arm still bled but he managed to stem the flow somewhat by holding it tight on the way here. He didn't feel woozy, yet. His T-shirt was ruined, that was definite, but his jeans were in decent condition. Some of the blood had caked his hair too, probably when he was upside-down. Upon inspection, he saw that his jacket had a cut where his wound was, but not much blood stained the outside. Too bad, it was good leather. Maybe Madam Tali would sew it up. Still, like his hair, they were all black so the blood stains wouldn't be too apparent.

Getting to work, he took off his shirt and cleaned the blood from his body with soaked paper towels. He dried himself off, tied his shirt around his arm as a tourniquet, and put on his jacket with the zipper up.

He stepped out and bought a bottle of water, then waited at a bus stop two blocks from the gas station. The bus that would come this way would take him close enough to where he needed to go, Soon enough, the bus came and he paid for the fare. He tried not to fall asleep as he always did on buses, it seemed like a bad idea right now. He got off at his stop forty minutes later and walked for a bit until he reached his destination. A diner.

He walked up to the booth and ordered a tofu burger combo with large fries and a large drink. While he waited, he watched the TV that was set up on the wall of the diner. A story on Humon was being showed. Another attack. From the background shown, he could tell it happened outside the junkyard district near Xinhua and Youai Rd. Some people were more disturbed by the news than others.

"Oh my god…"

"How horrible."

"What is the world coming to?"

He tuned them all out. Another day, another feeding. He just wanted to get his food and get out. When his order came, he asked for a to-go bag, having forgot to ask for one in the first place. Gift obtained, he exited the diner and began to feel light-headed. He gripped the doorframe for balance and accidentally knocked someone over-a girl by the sound of her yelp. Apologizing, he walked out once he corrected himself and sat at another bus stop that would take him to as close to Madam Tali's place that a bus could take him.

Thirty minutes passed before the bus came; good thing too, it was taking a bit of effort to keep his eyes open. The trip lasted an hour, during which a simple I'll-just-close-my-eyes-for-ten-seconds idea turned into a five-minute nap, making him almost miss his stop.

Stepping off the bus, he saw that it had gotten quite dark outside, so he activated his night-vision. His red eyes-his physical trait-gleamed for a moment, then he saw the world around him in a new light, in the literal sense. He walked the three blocks and up the apartment stairs to Madam Tali's door. It was a drag too. Twice he had to stop to either correct his balance or catch his breath. Brushing his bangs from his face, he took a few breaths before ringing Madam Tali's door.

The door burst open to reveal the beautiful, raven-haired woman in her signature purple robes.

The woman announced herself with glamour. "Hello, and welcome to Madam Ta-!" Seeing a familiar black shape, she looked down. "Oh, it's just you, Blake. And just how can I help my favorite, young Umbreon?"

Blake lifted the bag of food, which she took. "Got stabbed," he simply said, clutching the doorframe.

Madam Tali looked inside the bag. "Alright, well, everything seems in order. Come on in, Blake. I'll make tea," she said, already making her way into the kitchen.

He shook his head. No use trying to argue with this woman. God knows he's tried. He'd just have to wait the extra five minutes for the tea to finish.

Madam Tali called from somewhere inside. "Blake, you'll have to strip."

"I know!" he shouted back, annoyed.

"Just leave your clothes on the washing machine. I'll get to them later." There was a hint of amusement in her voice.

He mumbled to himself, "I came to the right place. I came to the right place…"


	3. A date for a date

I don't know if other members have this problem, but when I transfer over a google doc onto this site's Doc Manager as a Story format, sometimes a couple of words are missing, sometimes things that are supposed to be in italics aren't anymore, and other stuff happens. I'm re-learning to reread/fix my work, but if anyone suspects that I missed a grammatical error, then please feel free to PM me about the issue. Also, I'm sorry this didn't come out two days earlier. My computer got a virus and I got sick at the same time so we've both been working as best as we can to update this chapter (and I'm really glad I finally finished). Please don't mind us though and review as always.

Chapter 3: A date for a date

Helena wanted it. She wanted him, wanted to feel his lips on hers. There was nothing else that mattered in that moment but the two of them and her heart pounded so hard that she had went from feeling frozen from the icy night winds just a few minutes ago, to having sweat form on her neck. Her first kiss. She was confident, and she was ready. She knew right then that she wanted to give her first kiss to Curtis, that he was "the one". So why…

"Why? Why are you calling me now of all times, Zack?!" Helena screamed into her phone. "For what reason could you possibly be calling me for this late?"

There was no one else besides Curtis, so why on earth was she feeling like a kid at a store who got caught stealing candy? This wasn't the way her evening was supposed to down! It must have taken Curtis a lot of guts to make a move like that on her, and the mood was perfect too. Now she would have to wait for who knew how much longer for their next chance! Whatever the reason Zack was calling her for, she would make sure that he'd pay for this very, very dearly.

" _Uhh, well, the thing is, see… You know what? I'll just text Alice, she can take care of it._ "

"Don't you dare hang up on me!" Helena shouted. She heard him squeak. "I was in the middle of something very important so either you tell me right now what it is you needed, or I will drop everything right now, come over to your house, and personally make your night a living hell!"

" _IneedtheoutlineforourHistoryprojectbecauseIforgotmineinclasstodayI'msorry!"_

"..."

"... _Uhh, Helena?_ "

"Shut up."

" _Yes, ma'am!_ "

Helena closed her eyes and held her head. Zack was always like this, always so aloof and careless. She wondered why she was still friends with him, and this wasn't the first time the thought crossed her mind. Still, she couldn't bring herself to hate or dislike him. Despite him being, well… just Zack in general, she always overlooked his faults and just enjoyed hanging out with him. It was definitely one mystery that she would never solve.

Helena sighed. "Hold on, I'll head home now and email you the assignment."

Zack sounded relieved. " _Thanks, Helena! I knew I could count on you. You're the best!_ "

The call disconnected, so she put her phone away.

When neither she or Curtis said anything, a long silence began to pass inside the car. The air felt heavy enough to crush a brick. She was too tired to tell him what just happened, but with him being the shy type, she knew that they would be sitting here for quite some time until she herself said something. This was their third date and she felt that they both knew how the evening was intended to end if it had gone on uninterrupted. They had fun, and the perfect mood had been set for their perfect first kiss. The whole thing just mentally exhausted her now. Finally, she opened her mouth and was about to say that she needed to go home, until he spoke up.

"I'm sorry," he said, "This night is kind of ruined now, huh? I know that you were expecting, you know… our… _that_ , but it's not the end of the world. We have all the time in the world for it, right? And please don't blame your friend for this. He made a mistake, we all do. It was my fault for being too slow and shy today." He smiled at her. "I'm sure you're pretty tired now, so I'll take you home. I'll try to do better next time, promise."

+x+

Helena shrieked and rolled around on her bed like a tween who had just got to touch her dream guy. She was squeezing her pillow with her arms and legs too because she just really needed something to hold onto right now. Fleeting images of a "hopeful future" invaded her thoughts, but she chased them away because she was too young to be thinking such things. Still, it was nice to dream!

"You should've seen him, Alice!" Helena cried. "The date ended in disaster but he made such an amazing recovery, I couldn't even look at his face!"

"You're acting like a crazy fangirl who got the first autograph at a signing," Alice said. "What did he even do?" She didn't sound like it, but Helena knew that she was very interested. She was just trying to hide it was all.

Helena stopped rolling and sat up in her bed. "Okay, so after Zack hangs up, we're there, just sitting, not saying anything, right? We're sitting there so long that I start to think that we'll be there forever. I tried to be understanding about it since he doesn't have a lot of experience in dating so I was about to start talking until he starts to talk first! He said that it was okay that we couldn't kiss right now and that we had plenty of time for it. He tried to make what Zack did just a simple mistake, and took the blame for how today ended for being, and I quote, "too slow and shy"! He noticed that I was tired and promised that he'd do better next time! Oooh my god, Alice! He's so genuine, it's making me hurt in a good way! It's like I never knew how dirty I was until I met him, and he's the angel that's come to clean my soul!"

Her cheeks hurt but she couldn't stop herself from grinning ear to ear. There was so much more that she wanted to say in her head, but she just didn't know how. She was so giddy with joy that she felt like she could explode!

Alice gave her a strange look. "Ehh? Are you sure you don't need that paper bag? You look flushed. Maybe a glass of water?" She seemed off-put but Helena knew that she was happy too and even a bit jealous.

Helena smiled. "I'm telling you, Alice. For a moment, he was like a modern-day Prince Charming or something. He was so nice and sincere, you'd have to be there to really get what I mean. God, he's like one of those kinds of guys that you don't meet everyday, y'know? I feel so lucky, maybe I used up all my luck and will never win at casinos? Ahahaha."

Alice smiled back. "Get over yourself. There are plenty of nice guys out there. Every one of them has learned that nice guys are the new bad boys, and they're all going for it. These days, it's not about finding a nice guy, it's about finding a _real_ nice guy, not an act."

Helena smirked. "Oh, is someone jealous of my thriving love life?"

"Keep dreaming," Alice shot back with a roll of her eyes.

"What're you going to do about this, Alice? Are you gonna go out and hunt for a man better than mine? Or maybe you'll see Curtis when my back is turned and try to leave little hints here and there, eventually making yourself look like "the most important person" in his eyes? Is that what you'll do, my dear sister? Tell me honestly now."

"A-Are you so deep in love that your brain's turned to mush? What are you even saying? Listen to yourself! H-Hey, no, don't you dare! Stop it, Helena! Get those wriggling sausages you call fingers away from me! S-Stop it! No, don't! Stop!"

Helena's eyes filled with malice, and she wore the devil's smile. ""Don't stop"? Alright, if you say so~" she taunted.

Alice had been backed into a corner of Helena's room. She had grabbed Helena's chair in desperation and was now pointing it at her as a makeshift shield, but her hands were shaking. "Don't take my words out of context! How immature can you be?"

Helena's hungry fingers began passing the legs of the chair. "If we're talking about maturity, I believe physical appearance also plays an important role in determining the bigger sister, don't you think? And right now I am looking much, much bigger than you, dear sister."

Alice looked like she was on the verge of a mental breakdown. Her eyes started to water. "No… no… You can't do this! I'm older than you! This isn't possible! What is happening right now?!"

+x+

As a private maid for the household, Dalia instinctively headed to the source of the screaming, which she deduced came from Ms. Helena's bedroom. However, the maniacal laughter that soon arose told her that all was well, so she held back her colleagues, Elaine and Samantha, telling them that it was not in their place to interfere. That night, the three maids prayed the same prayer for a certain Glaceon girl.

 _We hope for your safe return, Ms. Alice!_

+x+

It took a couple of tries at first, but Helena eventually got the pen to stick on top of her nose. She saw that it began to wiggle, so she tilted her head to balance out the weight on both sides. Unfortunately, it was at that moment that her nose started to tingle. She tried tightening the center of her face, hoping that would help, but it was a losing battle and in the end she sneezed. She groaned and bent down to grab her pen, then twirled it in her hand while resting her chin on the other. Coming to terms that her work wouldn't finish itself, her eyes tiredly returned to the sheet in front of her.

 _The First Decade of Earth 2_

 _From befriending Pokemon to training them to become the very best, humans had learned much from their Pokemon partners, just as Pokemon had learned much from humans. However, neither species were without imperfections. Illegal trafficking, hunting, and bloodshed from both sides, existed to balance the light of this symbiotic relationship, with the dark. Despite this, humans and Pokemon continued to trust and live together, and their bond strengthened as time went on. Unfortunately, that bond developed in a way that neither group were ready for._

 _In the year 20XX, Pokemon disappeared from the face of the earth, seemingly overnight, but they continued to live on in humans not just of mind but of body as well. All around the world, each and every human had inherited a Pokemon's traits-one physical, one special-and although it was known by many names, that day was most commonly dubbed as "the Event". The unification of the two species stripped the remaining species of its name, its identity, and even its humanity. At first, the appearance of the new species brought global chaos. Resources were striped, neighbor turned on neighbor, and governments crumbled down to nothing from the inside-out. For five years, the earth truly lived under the law "every man for himself" and seemed as if it would return to the Dark Ages, but even with their new bodies, humans had managed to hold onto their ability of unity._

 _The first, real, post-Event civilization was known as Havenport and was founded by its current leader, Chancellor Noah. With his first broadcast, people had already grown too afraid to trust Chancellor Noah's message of food and shelter. Almost six months passed before Havenport welcomed its first, new civilians. The arrival of the new faces brought with it the acceleration of Havenport's growth as a community and within a year, it had grown into a large town-a year later, a small city. The rapid development of Havenport inspired others to rebuild as Chancellor Noah had done and in less than three years, new cities had sprung up around Havenport._

Helena sighed. Her assignment, the one that Zack had so graciously interrupted her date for, was one from history class. Basically, they were supposed to write a summative essay, at least three pages long, on anything that happened after the Event. Unfortunately, she was stuck and was finding it harder by the second to think of how to continue. She spun around in her chair for a few minutes while staring at the ceiling, but it was no use. Nothing came to her.

Deciding that she would get nowhere by herself, Helena sat up, but sat back down to alleviate her dizziness. After she shook it off, she grabbed her pen and used it to poke the crumpled heap of flesh in the corner of her room.

"Alice," she said monotonously, "help me."

No response.

She poked the ribs this time. "Hey, wake up."

Alice's body flinched. She groaned.

"Alice, get off my floor and help me," Helena said. "I'm stuck on my essay and I don't know how to continue."

Alice stirred to life, and she sat up tiredly. "Helena?" she mumbled. "That was too far, sis."

Helena raised a wriggling, right hand. "Well then help me out so that I don't have to go for round 2," she said with a shrug.

Alice stood up and inspected herself in a mirror. "My hair's a mess and I've been on the floor. I'll have to take another shower!"

"You can do it after. Hurry up and help me!"

"Oughh, so mean…"

Helena cheered, "Yaaay!"

Helena moved aside so that Alice could take her chair and read over her work so far. In the meantime, she brought over Alice's chair from her room so that she could sit behind her to brush her hair. While Helena's own hair was a bit wavy and reached to her shoulder blades, Alice's hair was straight and the length she kept it in reached down to her waist. Also, unlike Helena, Alice didn't have bangs. Alice once told her that she was originally a blonde, so sometimes Helena tried to picture her as one. However, the light-blue of her current hair contrasted so much with Helena's imagination of a blonde Alice, it was like trying to imagine red salad.

Helena glanced down at her own hair. Mom told her that it was originally light brown like hers, but she was sixteen now so the only pictures of her with light brown hair were when she was one. To her, the baby in the picture may have shared a similar face with her, but it was not her. Her hair was pink for as long as she could remember, and that was how it was supposed to be naturally, for her. Imagining it as something like "light brown" seemed so bold, she could already hear the whispers behind her back that she would receive at school if she'd dyed it that way. Curtis's hair was black; apparently, it was a "normal" color back in the days. What did he think of her hair? Did he like it? Hate it? Did it look too girly for him?

"Okay, I'm done," Alice said.

Helena asked, "Well…?"

Alice crossed her arms. "Well… how do I say this?"

"Just tell me!"

"I don't want to sound mean, but… it's boring."

"Boring?"

"Yeah, like, you include a broad view on the tragedies that followed the Event as well as the effort made to recover from it, but it feels like you're holding back."

"What should I do?"

"Hmm…" Alice remained silent for half a minute. "It… may be risky, but… maybe talk about _that_ in your essay?"

Helena flinched and looked at Alice.

Alice raised her hands defensively. "I won't force you to do it, but if you can manage to pull it off alright, the teacher's sure to give you an A. just make it sound intelligent and don't go too far into the topic itself. Focus more on the consequences that arose because of _that_ happening."

Helena looked at her paper. "I don't know…"

Alice put a hand on her back. "Tell you what, why don't you write a draft and give it to me afterwards? I already turned mine in and got an A+."

"Did you mention _it_?"

"I did. I barely scratched the topic, but I used the leading issues from _it_ to build up the rest of my essay, which turned out to be six pages in the end."

"Really?"

"Yeah. Trust me, you'll be surprised with how much more content you'll be able to work with once you start delving into the taboo."

"And you'll really help me?"

"Yep."

Helena hugged Alice and shook them. "Thanks, sis!"

"H-Hey, knock it off! You'll get dirty too! Let go!"

Helena could tell Alice was enjoying herself despite her words, so she stood up and began to spin them around, eventually tossing them both onto her bed. She laughed. "My big sis is the best."

Alice looked like she was about to object, but she sighed instead. "Just make sure you do your part, okay? I can't do everything you know," she said with a smile.

Soon afterwards, Alice left to take her second shower for the night since her white nightgown was now wet with sweat from her attempts to defend herself from Helena's earlier onslaught. Alone, Helena had no choice but to return to her assignment. Before she could though, her phone jingled and distracted her for the moment. She'd gotten a text. From Zack.

 _im sory i didnt no u wer busy :(_

Helena read the message again. And then a third time. She sighed. She really, really wanted to feel angry about this, but…

 _let me make it up t u. cake shack tomorow? :)_

No. As tempting as it was, Helena had standards. Her third date and first kiss were supposed to fall into place tonight in a magical setting overlooking the city, and it was ruined! She would not be bought off by a simple offer of cake that she could easily get at any ti-

"o _k_ "

Crap! Her fingers reacted faster than her brain did! Did she really just send that?

 _sweet! ^^ brng alice too. well make it a date! c u at 2 at 2 :D_

"Nooo! Send it back! Delete! Erase! Backspace!" Helena cried into her phone.

Her door swung open. "Ms. Helena, is everything alright?!" one of her maids worriedly asked. The oldest one, Elaine.

Somehow, Helena assured her that everything was fine (despite her teary face) and managed to get Elaine to close her door. She was already mid-jump to her bed, deciding to just give up for the night, when she remembered her history assignment. After today, she really just wanted to collapse on her soft bed and pillows and cocoon herself within her blankets, but the thought of Alice offering to help with her essay guilted her into returning to her desk, where she picked up her pen to try again. Finally, after forty minutes, she'd decided that she had done enough for the night, and went to the shower to get ready for bed.

… _to rebuild as Chancellor Noah had done and in less than three years, new cities had sprung up around Havenport._

 _It was within these three years that an evil, born in the shadows of human hearts, was finally brought to light: cannibalism. The Event had left the planet with only the new humans as its occupants, a species that was deeply accustomed to consuming other living beings. When the Event began, raw meat was the first to go. Then, jerky, canned fish, and other non-perishable meats were also consumed. When exactly the first act of cannibalism occurred remains unclear, but it was during the construction of Havenport's first neighboring city, when cannibalism had tainted its unfinished walls for the first time._

 _With the officially recognized "crime" came three absolute laws:_

 _1\. No act of cannibalism, no matter the degree or form, will be tolerated._

 _2\. No planning for, discussion of, or any other activities related to cannibalism, will be tolerated, unless government approved._

 _3\. Punishments that follow the illegal conduct of cannibalism and cannibalism related activities can range unrestricted, and will be carried out, so long as they are deemed appropriate and just._

 _These laws were created and enforced in Havenport by Chancellor Noah, who then asked the chancellors of Haveport's neighboring cities to inherit them into their own cities. The group complied unanimously, and soon afterwards it became a written requirement for any city to accept these three laws, if they wished to be built anywhere within one-thousand kilometers, from border to border, of a city that had already accepted the three laws._


	4. The night life

Chapter 4: The night life

"Don't touch it. You'll only make it worse!"

Madam Tali washed dishes from the kitchen while Blake was tying on his shoes. He shook his head at that statement. Of course he wouldn't touch it. He wasn't 4. Even though she had done a good job stitching up his shoulder, it still hurt, a lot. It was a good thing he had his jacket, but he would need new clothes. He didn't have much time either. It was already after 6.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Blake barked.

"I tried, Blake. You wouldn't wake."

Blake huffed. He stood and opened the door leading out of Madam Tali's apartment. If he hurried, he could make the 6:10 bus, five blocks away.

"Blake, wait!" Madam Tali called, "You're leaving already?"

"What, you saying I can't?"

Madam Tali rushed out from the kitchen. "No, it's just, Cat was here earlier. She left maybe half an hour ago to get you some new clothes. She'll be back soon so why not wait here?"

Blake spun. "Cat?! Cat was here? You let her in?" He flinched. "Wait, what do you mean she went to get me new clothes? How does she even know my—? You know what? I don't care. I'm leaving now."

Blake left the apartment and hurried down the stairs. Madam Tali called for him but he didn't look back. Back on the street, he turned right and started a light jog. He had maybe six or seven minutes left to cross five city blocks. He needed to catch the bus in time to make it to the mall which would be closing in less than two hours, and the ride there would take around half an hour.

There weren't many people or cars out on the street. Blake knew why. It was because of those crazy Humon guys. People eating people? Even he wouldn't stay outside after dark with people like Humon running around. But today, he was going to leave the city entirely. The guys that stabbed him wanted him to rob a museum? And they let him go without any leverage on him? They should've just let him go for free.

First, he would get some new clothes. Then, he would get out of Havenport. After that, well, he would cross that bridge once he got to it.

He made it to the bus stop before it had arrived, and shared the seat with an old woman. A man stood by his right, sandwiching him between the two. He had just caught his breath when three things happened. One, an empty soda can fell over, drawing Blake's attention to his left. Two, he saw the bus turn a corner about three blocks down the street he came from. Three, he saw Cat.

Blake's throat tightened. Cat had just rounded the corner on the same block he was on. She had a bag in her hand and pressed the button for pedestrian crossing, with her back to him. Blake shifted to align his body with the old woman's and looked to his right to hide his face. He tried relaxing his breathing while waiting for the bus to arrive. He could hear it getting closer, but had no idea whether Cat had already left or not. Should he take a peek? No, too risky. He didn't want to take that chance.

He heard the bus behind his ear. Chugging. Chugging. A screeching halt. Doors shuffling. He saw the bumper of the bus in the corner of his eye. The man on Blake's right entered the bus first and paid his fare. Blake stood up to do the same until a tug on his jacket stopped him. He looked back.

"I'm sorry, dearie, but would you mind helping me up?" the old woman asked, smiling.

Blake's eyes shot to Cat. She had just crossed the intersection and was now stuck on the other side of the street. Unfortunately...

"Blake! Heeeey!" Cat shouted with a grin, pressing the pedestrian crossing button.

Time to go. Blake held the old woman's back and pulled her up. He helped her climb into the bus and let her pay for her fare first.

Cars roared pass. "Hey, Blake! Wait! I've got something for you!" Cat yelled, still stuck on the other side.

Blake looked away. It was bad luck to make eye contact with that girl. He tapped his foot. He gripped the rail. That traffic wouldn't last forever. What was taking so long?

The old woman dug through her purse. "Now, let me see. I know I had a... somewhere… here… maybe… here?"

Blake gritted his teeth. You had got to be kidding. He saw that even the driver seemed a little annoyed.

He risked a glance. Cat was fidgeting in place, crumpling the handle of her bag. Then, the cars stopped coming, and they both saw it at the same time. The light was Go for pedestrians.

Oh my god.

Blake ripped out his wallet and paid for both his and the old woman's bus fares. "Sorry about that, sir. Go ahead. I'll help her to her seat," Blake said, smiling.

The driver nodded and the doors closed. While the old woman thanked him and told him that he didn't have to do that, Blake guided her to the closest available seat, holding her shoulders so that she wouldn't fall. He then looked outside a window to see Cat running towards, and catching up to, the bus. She was waving her hands, probably trying to signal the driver to stop. To this, Blake scoffed. This bus wasn't going to slow down for any turns any time soon. After this stop, it was a straight shot all the way to Huángsè St, which crossed nine city blocks. And public transportation was a bitch. You either made it, or you missed it. So unless Cat had some strong legs and lungs, she wasn't getting on this bus.

"Good luck," Blake mocked, taking a seat.

Again, he felt a tug on his jacket and Blake turned to the old woman.

"Here you go, dear," she offered him, smiling again, "for thanks."

300 Pokeyen. That would both his and her bus fares, as well as an additional one when he would need it. Blake's hand already reached for the money, but he stopped. His hand closed. Why did he stop?

"Uh, no thanks, you can keep it," he replied. Wait, what?

"Oh, no, I insist. Here, you keep it. Please," the old woman encouraged.

"You really don't need to pay me back. It was nothing." He really wanted that money.

The old woman took his hand, firmly pressed the bills in, and closed his hand. "It makes me feel better," she answered, patting his hand. She then pulled out a book from her purse and began reading.

Blake sat there for a while with the money in his hand. Why did he refuse the money? Money bought food, money was life, and he had no problem getting it any way he could. And free money? Who would turn that down? Apparently he did, but why? 300 Pokeyen wasn't a big deal anyway…

+x+

Blake stepped off the bus and made his first trip a visit to the mall's restroom. He ignored the restroom at the front of the mall because not only was it the biggest restroom, it was also the one by the cafeteria. If people ate, they'd need to go. Blake needed privacy so instead he made his way to the restroom all the way at the back of the mall. On the way there he kept an eye out for potential clothing stores. One was too sports-y. Another was too fashion-y. Oh well, he'd fine something on the way back. He had maybe forty-five minutes before the mall closed.

Making it to the back of the mall, Blake checked behind him before entering the restroom, and bent down to check the cubicles. The restroom was completely empty. Lucky him. He looked at himself in the mirror. His jeans were still okay. His shirt was a mess but the jacket was zipped up, which could be a problem. Who wore a leather jacket with the zipper up, indoors? He pulled the zipper down. The shirt wasn't too bad. As long as the right side of the jacket didn't move around it would cover up the blood. Also, it was a black shirt so the stain wouldn't be too easy to spot.

Blake shook his head. "If only there was just one or two of them..."

Finally, he looked at himself. His face still looked okay, thankfully. His hair though was getting a bit long. The back of his neck and sideburns were covered and the bangs touched his nose. He'd need a haircut soon. But first thing was first, he'd need those new clothes. And because it had been a while, he lifted the bangs from his face to see—

The restroom door slammed open and Blake immediately pumped some soap into his hands. A boy followed by a man hustled inside.

"Hurry, Dad." The boy's voice sounded strained.

"Okay, buddy, is it number one or number two?"

"Number one!"

The two passed Blake, entered the largest cubicle, and closed the door behind them. He finished washing his hands, did a quick brush up on his hair, grabbed some paper towels, and cast one last look at his reflection before he left.

Blake sighed. Maybe next time.

Blake roamed the mall for five more minutes, quickly scanning the various stores he passed. For a while, nothing caught his eye and he began growing worried for time (everything had a "theme" that he wasn't too keen on advertising across his chest like a dork). Then, he found it. A women's clothing store. Big with lots of customers. Just what he was looking for.

 _Attention shoppers, the mall will be closing in just thirty minutes. Again, the mall will be closing in thirty minutes. Please be sure to make all of your purchases soon and thank you for shopping at Northfield Mall. We hope to see you again._

Heading the announcer's advice, Blake stepped into the store with purpose and began to hunt for the usual: the men's section. He passed aisles of designer boots, perfume, and mother-daughter shoppers until he spotted the men's section at the left side of the store. He browsed through the racks of jackets and shirts until he spotted a pair that he liked. He grabbed the black shirt and jacket, and searched until he found a salesgirl. She was young. Around 16, 17, maybe? The school girl type. Perfect. Blake apologized in advance.

He approached her. "Excuse me."

She faced him and flashed a bright smile. "Hi there! How may I help you?"

He smiled too, hoping that it would help. "Hi, I'm looking for the dre—oh shit!"

Blake's foot caught on the wheel of a clothes rack, tripping him into the girl and bringing the whole rack down on top of them. The metal beams slammed into his injured shoulder, earning a loud cry from him. He clutched his shoulder and rolled back and forth across the floor, groaning in agony. Multiple saleswomen and clerks were on top of them in a second, pulling the felled clothes rack off of them. Blake felt some hands on his back.

"Oh my goodness, are you alright, sir?" a lady asked him.

Blake waved her off. "I'm fine, but check to see if she's okay. I think the edge of the beams fell on her."

Blake pulled himself to his feet and carefully backed away from the group. He had to repeat that he was indeed fine to a couple more clerks before he was sure that nobody was looking his way. With all of her associates gathered around the injured salesgirl, Blake grabbed a second pair of the same black shirt and jacket that he had placed near the front of the store when no one was looking, and left before anyone was the wiser.

Blake briskly walked out of sight from the storefront, rounding the corner to do so. He then checked his pockets to search for that one thing he needed right now while he waited for the couple behind him, as well as the family coming towards him, to pass by. Once he was in the clear, he tucked the shirt between the side of his body and left arm, and wore the jacket over his current one. He walked to the nearest cafeteria's restroom since it was the closest to the mall entrance, occupied a stall, and got to work on exchanging his ruined clothes for the new set.

He hung both jackets and the new shirt onto a hook, removed the price tags, and took off his bloodied shirt. It was a pain to get it off (literally) because his right arm did not want to go any higher than a handshake. It required some effort on his part to restrain himself from making any embarrassingly pain-filled grunts that could turn some heads in the restroom. He eventually did peel the shirt off of him and for some reason, it proved easier to put on a shirt than take to take one off. Blake put on his new jacket, already liking its slick feel. He finished with a quick adjustment to his collar and stepped out to check his new look.

He washed his hands again so that he had something to do while he looked at himself in the mirror—it always felt weird for him in public restrooms when he tried to groom himself with other men around. Other than his hair still needing work, he looked good and smelled better. He held back a grin. Getting fresh clothes always made his mind feel refreshed, second only to a shower. His old shirt was a goner, but the jacket only had the one rip so he decided to take it with him and give it to any bum he saw along the way.

Blake walked out of the mall with high spirits, which were soon crushed by an all too familiar feeling in his guts. He was hungry. He had slept all day and hadn't eaten a thing. Stealing food was harder than stealing clothes, and he really needed something right now. How much money did he have left? His wallet gave him the depressing answer of 1,309 Pokeyen.

Blake sighed. Getting stabbed was the worst.

Cravings demanded that he search for a high-calorie meal, so he decided to be a good boy and listen. There were some pretty upscale restaurants in the city center of Havenport, none of which he could afford, or even would if he could. But he knew Havenport's streets well, both the good and ugly, and that included the ones in the little gray area in between—his favorites.

It was before 8 and the sky had already started to turn purple, but that wouldn't be a problem here. Streetlamps began to light the sidewalks, paving a clear path for any pedestrians. Storefront lights also brightened the darkening streets, but were fewer in number. There were also only a few people out on the street as well. Again, Humon took the credit for that.

There weren't many buses active after 9 but where Blake was going, he wouldn't even need to wait for a ride. He could even take a leisurely stroll down the sidewalk and he would be there within ten minutes. Of course, that would never happen.

"Blake! Hey!" a shriek came from his right.

Blake tilted his head back in exhaustion. A soft something crashed and wrapped itself around his right arm, ripping out a cry of pain from him.

"Damn it, Cat!" Blake swore, clutching his shoulder.

She immediately released her grip on his arm. "Oh my gosh I'm so sorry! Did I hurt you? I'm sorry! Do you want me to help? What do you want me to do?" she cried, already coming closer.

"Just chill!" Blake said, holding up his hand.

Cat took a step back. Blake groaned. As if it wasn't enough for him to drop a steel clothes rack on himself just to get a new shirt. Now he had this to deal with. But first, he noticed that something was missing.

"So, I see you _did_ get some new clothes yourself," she noted, breaking the ice.

Blake ignored the comment. "Hey, where's that bag you were carrying earlier?"

Cat did a little twirl and winked. "You're looking at it."

Blake blinked. "You were going to have me wear _that_?"

Blake eyed Cat. He was sure she didn't get him the black knee socks and sneakers, nor the pink skirt. But she did sport a black and white striped shirt as well a white hoodie. Sure, it looked good on her, but as for him…

"Gross."

"Aw come on. You could use a bit of color in your wardrobe," she teased.

"It hurts my eyes just looking at it."

"If you say so," she laughed.

Blake rolled his eyes and kept walking.

"Sooo…" Cat began, tossing her hair back, "notice anything new, Blake?"

Blake smirked a little. "I dunno, did you get contacts? I gotta say, blue looks good on you"

Cat slapped his good shoulder. "You jerk! You know that's crossing the line," she huffed, looking away from him for once.

He laughed a little on the inside. Didn't know why she always got so upset when he brought up her eyes but it was fun to use against her. He enjoyed the silent treatment a bit longer until he finally decided to give her closure. "Fine. Nice haircut, Cat."

Cat's demeanor took a 180 as she faced him with a smile on her face and a hand on her hip. "Why thank you for noticing, Blake."

Subtlety never really was her strong suit. The last time he saw her was maybe two weeks ago (best two weeks ever) but he did remember her hair being longer. Now it was cut short, reaching down to her shoulders, and her bangs were trimmed too. The brown contrasted well with her new white hoodie and he suspected that she only got those clothes for him as an excuse for her to go "shopping" for herself.

Cat started talking again but Blake quickly shushed her. If she was going to chat, he was going to get some dinner first, to which she consented with a groan. He would not let her take away his nightly stroll. For three city blocks, Blake enjoyed an evening of walking down among the brightly lit stores and businesses of Havenport's nightlife. The sound of chatter and passing cars and the bell chime from an opened door put his mind at ease. The city soundscape was his peace, especially right here downtown rather than the outskirts where everything was too noisy for him to enjoy.

Rounding the corner of the third block, Blake knew that he was at the right place when he began hearing the gentle strums of a guitar. A lone guitarist sat on a foldable chair, playing the night away while the occasional bill or coin would drop into his guitar case. A small crowd was gathered in front of a flower shop that had flowers of many colors on display in front of windows and in flowerbeds. As Blake and Cat got closer they were welcomed by the homey aroma of baked beans originating from a food truck that had parked to form a triangle among the flower shop and guitarist. The lively atmosphere radiated outward, attracting customers across the street to the scene. Even Cat had stopped fidgeting.

Waiting in line to order was a pain, and waiting for their food after making their order was double pain (triple in Cat's case when she learned that Blake wasn't paying for her), but about ten minutes and 1,318 Pokeyen later the wait was over.

"Two Triple Train Tacos for Nick and Cat," a woman called out.

Blake pushed through the crowd with Cat on his heels to get his food. He presented his ticket to the food truck vendor which she traded for his plate of soft shells, followed by Cat who did the same. Blake felt eyes on his plate but managed to push through almost a dozen people and take a seat on a raised, brick flowerbed. The food smelled great. Brown rice, black beans, and diced avocado, all wrapped in three corn tortillas and sprinkled with cilantro. He could not wait to dig in.

Blake grabbed his first wrap, took his first bite, and let the flavors spread in his mouth. The beans were hot and creamy, backed by the grainy rice that contrasted with the soft avocado, and the warm tortilla wrapping tasted like biting into a present. Simple. But good. Really good.

"Hey, scooch over a bit?"

And now it was ruined.

He scooted over and swallowed. "Just couldn't let me enjoy my dinner, huh?"

"Hey, you said that you wanted some peace and quiet at least until you got something to eat. You got something to eat, so now it's my turn."

Blake grumbled something unintelligible and was about to take his second bite until he saw Cat's plate. "What the—How come you have four tacos?"

"Huh! That's weird," Cat remarked, taking her seat. "I don't know, maybe they made a mistake? I'll just go tell them and—"

"No!" Blake grabbed and pulled her back down. "What are you, a moron? Don't return it, eat it!"

"But I can't finish this all on my own," she answered with a grimace. With two hands, she held a taco up to his face. "Help me?" she asked with a grin.

Admittedly, Blake's mouth did open before he was able to catch himself. Once he did, he pieced it together quite easily: A food truck vendor sees a cute couple (hypothetically). However, the guy doesn't cover the girl and she gets upset. So what can she do to help them out? This.

"Uh oh, busted." Not even a second had passed but she must've seen the gears turning in his eyes.

Blake stared her down. He pushed her hands away. "Bad kitty."

"You're no fun." She pouted and took a bite.

He looked over her plate again. "You really like the sweet stuff..."

Her food consisted of steamed corn, diced potatoes, and shredded red bell peppers, wrapped in corn tortilla. She had passed on the cilantro. Her mouth must have been having a party.

"You know, it's not too late if you w—"

"I don't want a taco!"

Cat laughed. Blake grumbled something unintelligible and started on his second taco. Unfortunately, he hadn't counted on her having a Plan B. He felt something soft dabbing at the corner of his lips, stopped chewing, and slowly turned to face Cat. She was smiling. Very cute. He smiled back before promptly yanking the napkin from her hand, and wiped his own lips. Another laugh.

And throughout the night, soft strums sprung from the lone guitar.

+x+

"So, where are we going now?"

Blake turned. "We?"

"Yeah, I mean, dinner was great and all, but you are going to need a place to stay tonight, right? You can, you know, if you want... crash at my place?"

Unsurprisingly, Cat had followed Blake after they had finished eating. He had no idea how she finished before him. They walked aimlessly for a while to Cat's knowledge, but Blake knew exactly where he was going.

"I'll pass. I've already got a place in mind."

"Really? Where?"

He wouldn't mind telling her for once. "The Wild."

Cat tripped. "What?"

"You heard me."

"... Pffhahahahahaha!"

"..."

"... Oh my god you're serious."

"As a heart attack."

"Are you crazy? You won't last two days out there! Do you know how many freaks are out there just waiting for some fresh meat like you to come stumbling into their territory?"

"Approximately eight packs between here and the next city, spread no less than ten miles from each other, so I've heard."

She scoffed. "So you've heard."

After The Event had occurred, the concept of currency was crushed under the wave of chaos that swept the globe. Some people could breathe underwater, some could fly, and some were torn apart from the ones they loved from the poison that seeped from their own pores. The imbalance of raw power let the rich abuse the poor and the poor to steal from the rich. So when Chancellor Noah extended his reach, those who prayed for the days of peace graciously accepted. Still, some refused. Those who had lived their whole lives in the dirt, who secretly wished for something more, or even those who simply enjoyed their newfound power, stayed outside the city walls and lived in the world of ruins that remained. And since wild Pokémon had once occupied the world outside towns and cities, the new world was called The Wild.

"Blake, you can't go out there. You won't survive on your own, much less make it to the next city."

"Yeah well I've got a plan."

"What plan?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?"

"I'm being serious!"

"So am I. Butt out!"

Cat boiled. "What kind of crap did you get yourself into? Laying low is one thing but leaving? What the heck did you do, Blake? What trouble is so bad that you're willing to risk going out there instead of staying in here?"

"None of your business."

"And why not? Why won't you just tell me so that I can help you?"

Blake turned to her. "I. Don't. Need. Your help." He kept walking.

She huffed. "So that's it? You're just going to run away?"

"Well I'm not going to stay like an idiot."

"This. What you're doing right now. _This_ is idiotic!"

"Oh my god you're impossible."

"Blake, I'm sure we can find another way to whatever you're dealing with here if we can just—"

"I saved you one time!" Blake shook her shoulders. "Once! It wasn't even some big knight-in-shining-armor moment or whatever you might think it was. It was just me giving an apple to some starving street girl. I gave a whole sandwich to a bum last week. Now, do me a favor, and get over it."

Blake let go of Cat who was wearing a look that he'd never seen on her before. Good. No way was he going to show her where he was heading. He could finally get to work instead of just leading her around. He walked down the street until he thought that maybe he was a little rough on her.

Blake turned and said, "If it makes you feel any better, I consider us even, okay?"

What he saw next was bizarre. Cat was falling backwards with her feet scraping the ground while grabbing at the air in front of her neck. For a second, the sight had Blake believing in ghosts—and not just Ghost-type Pokémon. Then it clicked for him and he sprang into action. He tackled the air just above Cat's head and his faith was rewarded with a satisfying _thud_. Cat fell aside but Blake stayed on her invisible attacker and took them both to the ground.

Blake tightened his left arm and heard a choking sound from his left ear. He had his neck. He readied his fist but stopped when a splitting pain flared across his right shoulder. The stab wound. He couldn't attack from this angle. Blake readjusted and used his right arm to tighten his left. The choking sound increased.

"Cat! Back pocket!"

"Right?"

"Left!"

He felt Cat fish inside his pocket. The grunts behind his ear were getting aggressive; the guy was fighting back.

"Is this from the food truck?"

"Hurry up!"

"Okay! Where?"

"Behind me!"

Cat gripped the plastic spoon and dug the point into the air behind Blake. A loud moan cried out behind Blake's ear and their invisible attacker finally revealed himself. Blake released him and rolled away before swiftly kicking him in the stomach.

"Eww, he's naked." Cat retched.

"... Really? That's your opening line?"

"What? He is."

Blake rolled his eyes. "So let me guess. A Kecleon, right?"

The naked kid (he looked like a kid), groaned in pain. A spot of blood dripped in his side where Cat had stabbed him.

"You know you're a bit sloppy. Knocking over soda cans on a windless day? Pretty lame."

The kid laughed.

"Why are you here? Keeping tabs on me for your boss? Making sure I don't try and bail?"

The kid started to his feet, with a bit of trouble. "You know... you aren't... argh... dumb as you made yourself look yesterday..." He kept his hands on top of the bleeding. "But... you're not as smart... as you think you are."

"Okay, gross. Can you please turn the other way?" Cat said, holding her free hand in front of her face.

The kid scoffed and his "area" soon vanished.

"That's it?"

"Well you stabbed me, bitch. Do the math. You expect me to be one-hundred percent after that?"

"What did you call me?!"

Cat swiped the spoon across his chest, leaving a long red gash. The kid yelped in pain and fell to his knees. Cat kicked his back hard enough to knock him into an alleyway, which caused his invisibility to give away.

Cat sighed, "Great. Now we can see his junk again." She twirled the plastic spoon. "When did you even get to sharpen this anyway?"

"While you were busy chatting," Blake answered. He pinned his knee on the kid's back and pulled his arms back, earning a groan from him. "I'll ask one more time. Why are you here?"

The kid struggled to get free but Blake wasn't having it. He pushed and pulled his knee and arms which calmed the kid down enough to speak. "We knew you would try to run... We also knew...hrggh... that no random street trash could live on his own... That's why they sent me... To... arghhhh... huff, huff... To find... anyone you were close with... and use them... as leverage..."

Blake raised an eye. "You think I care about her?"

The kid chuckled. "I dunno, do you, Ben? No, wait, it was Nick, right? Oh hang on a second, she called you Blake, so that's gotta be it, isn't it?"

Blake turned to Cat. Cat looked away. The kid chuckled some more.

"I'm curious, why only her? How come she's the only one who knows your real name? Blake?"

The only one. Good. He didn't know about Madam Tali.

"Could it be because deep down, you really do care for her? Blake?"

"Shut up."

"Aww, come on, Blake. It's not a shame to admit it. You guys looked cute together tonight. All cuddled up with food and music."

"Shut up."

"I gotta say, for street trash, she's a 10. I'm a bit envious, Blake."

Blake dug his knee deep into the kid's back.

The kid moaned and swore, but soon laughed again. He spoke shakily, "What's the matter? Blake? Cat got your t—?"

Cat kicked the kid in the chin, knocking him unconscious. She tossed the spoon aside and pulled Blake to his feet.

"I was gonna do that," Blake complained.

"Well I needed it more than you."

They looked down at the kid, naked, bleeding and drooling on the cold alley floor. They looked back. It must have been late because no one was on the street.

"It's not safe," Cat noted.

"We need to go," Blake agreed.

"What should we do with this?"

Blake thought for a while. Eventually, he decided, "As satisfying as it would be to just leave him here and roll the dice, we can't guarantee that he won't wake up soon and report back to—"

Cat looked at him expectantly. A smile twitched at her lips.

"... I'll tell you later."

She sighed. "Fine. Then what do we do?"

"Well, that depends. You wanna kill him?"

Cat looked horrified. "Nooo!"

"Yeah I didn't think so... Oh well. Grab his arms and I'll grab his legs."

"You're kidding me, right?"

"Grab. Him."

"This will look _so_ wrong to _so_ many people."

"It's fine. It's night so everyone's probably at home watching TV or sleeping."

"Where are we even taking him?"

Blake looked down in defeat. Madam Tali's was no good, she was on the other side of town and all the buses had stopped a few hours ago. His place was even further than Madam Tali's so there was no point in even trying. Humon attacks were slowly on the rise and they would need a place to stay, quickly. That only left...

He shook his head. He spoke carefully, "Cat. I know this is sudden but..."

"Yes!" Cat looked ecstatic and was already grabbing the kid's arms. "Yes, of course! Oh my gosh, my roommate missed you so much! Well, not as much as me, but she mentions you! We got new stuff since the last time you were there, too! A new mattress. Mirrors. Oh! Guess who got a new phone?"

It was going to be a long night...


End file.
